Lake Huron Initiative: A Work in Process Presented by: Jim Bredin - Michigan Office of the Great Lakes

Prepared by: Environment Canada - Atmospheric Environment Branch, Geomatics Unit

A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries (GLFC, 1997) The Lake Committees will identify environmental issues which relate to or may impede achievement of their fish community objectives and will work with other ecosystem initiatives, such as LaMPs, in developing and furthering plans for achieving, refining and assessing progress on environmental and fish community objectives.

Activities on other Lakes Lake Superior Bi- National Program Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Plan

Follow-up: Lake Huron Watershed Conference

Follow-up: Lake Huron Watershed Conference Lake Huron Workshop

Follow-up: Lake Huron Watershed Conference Lake Huron Workshop Lake Huron Stakeholders

Follow-up: Lake Huron Watershed Conference Lake Huron Workshop Lake Huron Stakeholders Workshop 2001 State of the Lake Symposium

Lake Huron Initiative Steering Committee Michigan DEQ Michigan OGL Michigan Department of Natural Resources U. S. EPA-GLNPO GLFC’s Lake Huron Technical Committee Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation Environment Canada

Lake Huron Initiative Goal To restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters, tributaries, and nearshore terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Lake Huron.

Lake Huron Initiative Action Plan March 2000 Prepared by: Office of the Great Lakes Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

The Action Plan Identifies key issues Recent successes Needed actions

Critical Issues Critical pollutants/use impairments Fish & wildlife habitat Biodiversity

Critical Pollutants/Use Impairments Contaminant Trends Fish Consumption Advisories Areas of Concern

Contaminant Trends 1970s -1990s, persistent bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (PCBs, DDT, Dioxins) significantly declined Mid 1980s to present, concentrations have not declined significantly

Critical Pollutants PCBs Chlordane Dioxins Mercury DDT Metals Sediment/Suspended Solids Nutrients (phosphorus) Tritium Pathogens (E. coli)

Contaminant Sources For many persistent bioaccumulative chemicals, loadings from water sources lowest of all Great Lakes Air sources are the highest Contaminated sediments

Fish Consumption Advisories Lake Huron Saginaw River/Bay St. Marys River Spanish River Severn Sound St. Clair River

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted)

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted) Severn Sound

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted) Severn Sound Spanish River

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted) Severn Sound Spanish River St. Marys River Saginaw River/ Saginaw Bay

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted) Severn Sound Spanish River St. Marys River

Areas of Concern Collingwood Harbour (delisted) Severn Sound Spanish River St. Marys River Saginaw River/ Saginaw Bay St. Clair River

Fish & Wildlife Habitat Critical Issues Open lake habitat Nearshore habitat Tributaries Non-native species

Fisheries Issues Reasons for Concern: Degradation and loss of historical habitat in tributaries Degradation and loss of near shore habitat Non-native species, over-fishing, and reproduction failure

Open Lake Habitat Historical versus current lake trout spawning areas

Nearshore Areas The nearshore area habitats at one time, encircled the lake Where these remain, they are an important resource for fish and wildlife Courtesy of Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation

Nearshore Areas Many areas have been altered for shoreline protection, transitional vegetation is now gone Loss of connectivity The cumulative impacts of structures is increasing

Coastal Wetlands Most losses have been around small urban centers on the lakeshore Losses has been due to agriculture, cottage development, road construction, dredging and channelization Courtesy of Kate Ter Haar

Tributary Concerns Historically, sources of cool, high quality water for spawning and nursery habitat Fish excluded from many tributaries through construction of dams Sediment and other nonpoint sources Courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Non-native Species Non-native species causing significant stress include the sea lamprey, zebra mussel, round goby, and purple loosestrife

Fish Farming - Aquaculture Concern from a fisheries and environmental perspective Now accounts for over 60 percent of rainbow trout production in Ontario waters Courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Biodiversity Issues From a biodiversity perspective, there are specific areas of Lake Huron that deserve special protection

Biodiversity Issues Misery Bay

Biodiversity Issues Misery Bay Saginaw Bay

Biodiversity Issues Misery Bay Saginaw Bay Mackinac- Manitoulin area

Biodiversity Issues Misery Bay Saginaw Bay Mackinac- Manitoulin area Georgian Bay

Biodiversity Issues Misery Bay Saginaw Bay Mackinac- Manitoulin area Georgian Bay, and Bruce Peninsula

Key Actions Now Underway  Michigan and Ontario are developing a bi-national GIS system  Dredging the Pine (DDT)and Saginaw Rivers PCBs)  Protecting habitat in the Saginaw Bay watershed  Implementing the $170M CREP in the Saginaw Bay watershed

Actions Needed Control atmospheric inputs Prevent the introduction of non-native species Restore lost habitat Continue progress in AOCs Secure funding for lamprey control Assist local protection/restoration efforts Research changes in lower trophic levels Control pathogens (E. coli) in Saginaw Bay and SE Lake Huron

Future Lake Huron Initiative Actions Identification and implementation of Lake Huron indicators Monitoring coordination Update of the Lake Huron Initiative Action Plan

Lake Huron Initiative For additional information regarding Lake Huron and the Lake Huron Initiative go to:

Lake Huron Initiative: A Work in Process